Pope Leo XIV welcomed Jonathan Roumie and other “The Chosen” cast members during a meeting in Vatican City. During the powerful encounter, Jonathan says he immediately spotted kindness and charity in the new pope. Watch the short but powerful clip to hear more about Jonathan’s meeting and the hilarious and unexpected gifts he brought for the pope.
“The Chosen,” the television series depicting the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the world's Savior, has exploded in popularity. Since the program launched in 2017, it has garnered a massive audience, with one article claiming that the show has been viewed by 200 million people across the various online streaming platforms.
After spending several weeks in Italy while filming the crucifixion scenes for season six of the beloved series, Jonathan and his fellow castmates, Elizabeth Tabish, George Xanthis, Vanessa Benavente, as well as Dallas Jenkins, the series creator, met with Pope Leo XIV.
In an interview following the meeting, Jonathan remarked on Pope Leo XIV’s kindness and charity and how he had not seen any episodes of “The Chosen,” even though he is well aware of the series.
“Just the kindness on his face and, and just a, a charity about him that just moved me,” Jonathan said. “It was really, yeah, it was overwhelming at first, and just really, really excited. I didn’t think I would get to meet him this soon.”
While Pope Leo XIV has yet to catch any episodes of “The Chosen,” someone very close to him is familiar with the popular series.
“He hadn’t seen the show that I’m on, but his brother was a fan of it,” Jonathan said. “And so, he’s like, he knew of the show. And I said, ‘Well, we brought some DVDs to help remedy that.’”
Later in the clip, Jonathan stated that he understands the Lord has blessed him with particular talents and put him where he is for a specific reason.
“I believe, and I still believe, that God gave me certain gifts to use, to share with the world and specifically to glorify His name in some way,” he said. “And until I realized that I didn’t really have success, and once I committed my career to Him and in doing so, the entirety of my life, that’s when my life changed.”
Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created.”
